HL Deb 18 March 2003 vol 646 cc23-4WA
Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In the year ending 30 April 2002, what percentage of crimes notified to the Police Service of Northern Ireland resulted in either a caution or a conviction; and how that compares to the average percentage for the rest of the United Kingdom. [HL1813]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

Information on crime figures is not available in the format requested. However the following table shows notifiable offences recorded and cleared by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the financial year 2001–02.

Offences recorded Offences cleared % Clearance Rate
139,786 Charge/summons 11,808(42%) 20.1
Caution 1 3,506(12%)
Taken into consideration 439 (2%)
Offender under age2 219(1%)
Complainant declined to prosecute 10,140(36%)
Otherwise disposed of 2,030 (7%)
28,142
1 Includes juvenile advice and warning.
2 Under 10 years old.

The overall crime clearance figure for England and Wales for the same period was 25 per cent. This breaks down as:

  • Charge/summons 15 per cent
  • Caution 4 per cent
  • Taken into consideration 2 per cent
  • Other 4 per cent.

No comparable figures are available for Scotland.